This weekend is the peak of the annual Lyrid meteor shower which takes place in April every year.

Between midnight and dawn on Friday and Saturday if you head out of the city you'll be able to spot a good few shooting stars in the night sky.

To find out everything we needed to know about the event we went along to Glasgow Science Centre to chat with astronomer Steve, who has spotted quite a few shooting stars over the years.

Here's all the information you need ahead of this weekend's big event.

What is the Lyrid meteor shower?

The Lyrid is considered to be one of the oldest meteor showers known. It is named after the constellation Lyra.

It’s caused when Earth passes through a region of the solar system where there’s lots of debris from a comet called C/186 Thatcher - which was discovered in 1861.

As the bits of debris from the comet crash through the Earth’s upper atmosphere they vaporise, turning into the colourful meteor shower.

The Lyrid Meteor shower usually produces about 10 to 12 meteors per hour.

When does the Lyrid meteor shower peak?

The shower will be most visible on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 after midnight and just before dawn.

Where can I see it in Glasgow?

If you really want to catch a glimpse of the amazing site you will have to head out of the city or at least away from street lights.

It also depends on the weather conditions on the night but parks and the outskirts of towns are always better.

Head south to somewhere like the Campsie Fells or north to Whitelee Wind Farm and you're sure to see something.

Will I be able to catch it on camera?

Although you don't need any equipment to view the shower, trying to take a picture on your phone camera might not catch anything.

If you do have a camera the best one to use is an SLR so you can leave the lens wide open and try and leave the exposure for as long as possible. You will have to take lots and lots of pictures to try and catch a shooting star.

Remember to wrap up warm and bring a reclining chair - you could be out for a while!